A Complete Comprehensive Guide About Vehicle Air Conditioner Repair And How It Works!

These days, many of us don’t think about gettinga car’s air conditioning unless it is hot outside or when it is out of order. There was a time when installing an AC feature was only an option on more expensive luxury vehicles. It is unimaginable today to have a modern car without air conditioning. These air conditioners have become one of the most important components of any vehicle.

Perhaps it is because this feature comes pre-installed with every new car,many car owners take their air conditioners for granted, often waiting until it’s too late to call a professional vehicle air conditioner repair service. Keeping your vehicle air conditioner in a good state is not just about keeping you comfortable in the heat. It is also important for your safety because a vehicle’s air conditioning system is doing a lot more work than just cooling the car’s cabin.

A car air conditioner not only keeps the interior of your car cool, but also dehumidifies as well, preventing the interior parts of the windshield, rear windshield, and windows from steadily fogging up. This can be critical in rainy weather or particularly humid climates and sometimes in winters too when the temperature inside the car is higher than the outside. This guide will tell you all about car air conditioning, how it works, when to maintain your air conditioning, and what do you need to know about vehicle air conditioners?

The first thing we need to understand is how the vehicle’s air conditioning system works.

How does vehicle air conditioning work?

It is important to know that air conditioning does not generate fresh air. It removes the heat and moisture already in the car’s cabin, leaving cold air behind. All of these components play an important role in diffusing heat and moisture out of the car.

The air conditioning system has some elements that are essential for it to operate. It consists of the evaporator, the condenser, the compressor, the expansion device, and a fan. Another important element that plays the most important role is the refrigerant. The refrigerant is the liquid that passes through all these parts and is finally released into the cabin. We will see how these parts work together.

1. Compressor

A compressor is just like a pump that works for compressing. The component remains connected to the crankshaft to receive power and operate. The refrigerant first enters the compressor in vaporous form. The compressor works by compressing this gas to transfer it to the condenser for more processing. The compressor can only compress gases and not liquids.

2. Condenser

The condenser also has its name for the automotive air conditioning system. It works to condense/convert gas to liquid. Compressed gas enters the condenser and the procedure also generates heat. However, the tubes through where the airflow occurs cool this gas and it turns into a liquid. In this way, the refrigerant becomes a high-pressure liquid ready to enter the next component, which is the receiver.

3. Receiver dryer

The dryer receiver is known as a safety lock because it maintains security in the car. When we use the air conditioner, sometimes liquid starts to flow into the compressor instead of vapors, which can damage the compressor. Thus, the receiver-drier is used to fit between the compressor and the evaporator to transform the remaining liquid into vapors and then send it to compression.

4. Expansion valve

The expansion valve serves to improve the high pressure, sending liquid refrigerant at a low temperature through the condenser. As its name suggests, it controls expansion and reduces pressure. The pressure is used to release the refrigerant before sending it to the evaporator.

5. Evaporator

While all other parts of the system are located in the engine compartment, it is located in the cabin, usually on the floor on the passenger side. It also looks like a radiator, with its coil of tubes and fins, but its function is to absorb heat rather than dissipate it. The refrigerant enters the evaporator coil as a low-pressure cold liquid, ideally-thirty two degrees Fahrenheit, which is why you don’t want water in the system.

The coolant does not freeze at this temperature, but it has a very low boiling point. The heat in the car cabin is enough to boil the gas in the evaporator back to gas, just like water turns to steam. In its gaseous form, refrigerant can absorb a lot of heat.

6. AC Filter And Accumulator

The air conditioner in-line filter kit traps debris and provides you with purified air. The accumulator contains the refrigerant. Dries the bag of coolant by removing moisture and then circulating it around the interior of the car.

7. Inside the Cabin process

Blowers inside the air vents near the passenger seat in the dashboard help blow cool air through the vents and cool down the car’s temperature. This process also removes moisture from the air and allows you to enjoy cool, dry air. During this process, the collection and drainage of the condensate also take place. When the liquid refrigerant in the AC system heats up after the operation, it returns to the gaseous state. This hot low-pressure vaporous refrigerant/Freon gas recirculates and returns to the compressor. This is how the new cycle goes and you get fresh, dry, cool air.

Refrigerant/Freon Filling

It simply means that a new refrigerant/Freon is added to the system. If the coolant is a little low, it can be topped up, as if you had a little oil in the engine. However, if it is very low, the refrigerant that is still in the system must be drained and replaced. This process of draining the system and adding new fluid is called refilling of refrigerant/Freon gas.

Vehicle Ac Repair

Freon will very slowly escape from a car’s air conditioning system. It is normal, don’t worry. The whole system is made up of many parts made of different metals and materials as we have studied above. These parts heat up and expand, get very cold, and come into contact in various places. Something will escape, or rather infiltrate, under these conditions. As the Freon leaks out, refrigerant oil seeps because these two substances mix within the closed air conditioning system. So, if your air conditioning system is not working or blowing hot air, this is one of the most obvious reasons. To solve this issue, you will need to refill the refrigerant/Freon gas, so that it should start working again.

Fan motor fault

Another common source of problems in your car’s AC system is the blower motor located at the front of the vehicle’s engine. Whether your car has one or two fans, the fan must be in good working order to keep it cool and provide vital cooling to your engine. This issue often takes place due to damage to fan wires or fuses. You can replace the fuses easily and if the wires are sparking, it is recommended to take your car to a professional who can change fan wires.

While your car’s air conditioner is awaiting repairs or you just want a quick solution, you can use a portable AC for car.

Conclusion

The air conditioning system of any vehicle is a very vital component and it should keep functioning properly not just to keep the car and passengers cool on hot summer days but it also helps in defogging the car’s inside the cabin. So, just like other parts of your car, take care of your car’s air conditioning system.